


Bedside Manner (Kettering)

by m_squared



Category: Orphan Black
Genre: AU, Angst, F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-14
Updated: 2015-10-09
Packaged: 2018-04-09 07:07:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,875
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4338761
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/m_squared/pseuds/m_squared
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Delphine Cormier is a young medical fellow at University of Toronto, moonlighting at the local ER clinic to pay bills. Dr. Cormier is brilliant, but struggles with relating to her patients until one night she meets a young woman with an unknown illness who changes her life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Stasis

**Author's Note:**

> I revisited The Antlers album "Hospice" and this happened.

            The crisp November air bit sharply into her lungs, mixing with the smoke of her cigarette as she inhaled deeply. She was hoping that the rush of nicotine would soothe the dull ache she felt behind her eyes, if only temporarily. It was her fourth night shift in a row and exhaustion seemed to have seeped into her very bones, causing even the easiest activity to feel ten times more strenuous. Taking a long drag, Dr. Delphine Cormier began to mentally prepare herself for the night ahead, her last shift had been fairly routine and she was hoping that tonight would be the same. She was in her second year of her fellowship at University of Toronto, focusing her research on immunology and infectious disease. While she was lucky enough to have procured some funding, medical PhDs were not cheap and she had been moonlighting as an internist at the ER clinic whenever her schedule allowed. With a glance towards the rising full moon, she extinguished her cigarette into the ashtray outside the hospital entrance and headed inside, hoping that the night would pass quickly.

            After changing from her street clothes to scrubs and grabbing a coffee from the hospital café, Delphine made her way to the nurses’ station to pick up her patients’ charts. A quick scan revealed that so far the clinic had been relatively quiet, much to her relief. She took a large sip of coffee and quickly pulled the mug away grimacing.

            “Careful Doc wouldn’t want to have to admit you for second degree burns on your tongue,” a playful British accent called out from behind the desk.

            “Ah, yes, thank you Felix. I assure you, the burns would be worth it if it meant getting rid of this headache.” She said, smiling slightly at the handsome nurse. She was happy that the sassy Brit was also working the graveyard shift. They had worked together a few times during some of her earlier clinical rotations in the program, and while she had made a terrible first impression with him initially, they had slowly begun to warm up to one another over the last few months. He loved to tease her about her perceived icy demeanor and often inquired into the state of her love life, or lack there of, much to her embarrassment.

            “You know what else would help with getting rid of that headache? Getting lai–“

            “Do not finish that sentence Felix!” said a short blonde nurse, wrapping her hand over Felix’s mouth as she came up behind him. The resulting stunned look on his face causing Delphine to simultaneously giggle and blush; a fact that did not go unnoticed by Felix.

            “Dr. Cormier,” the shorter woman continued, smiling warmly at the French doctor.

            “Krystal, how many times do I have to tell you to call me Delphine?”

            “Alright, Delphine. I actually brought a thermos of my special chamomile tea from home if you’d like a cup for your headache?”

            “There’s nothing special about chamomile tea, Krystal. My mum used to make it for me to help me sleep.”

            “And I bet you slept soundly, Felix, chamomile is known for its healing powers.” Felix rolled his eyes, and Delphine smiled wider.  

            “It sounds lovely Krystal, I would love some. Anything to get me through the night.”

            Krystal beamed, “Great! It’s in the break room; I’ll get it for you when I have the chance. Though first, you should probably take a look at this last patient. She came in about two hour ago and was initially seen by Dr. Sadler. We’re waiting on her labs but they should be done now. Dr. Sadler is finishing up with the last admit and should be over in a minute.” She handed Delphine the folder for the new patient.

            _Niehaus, Cosima. Age 29, Gender, Female. Height 162.56cm Weight 48kg. BP 90/60. HR 65. Temp 48. Presenting symptom: Seizure with hemoptysis. Ordered full panel and_ _MRI_ _1700 hrs. No history of seizures, no family history of epilepsy or brain tumors._

            _We’re the same age_ , Delphine thought quietly to herself. “Any family or friends come with her?” She asks Krystal.

            “No, she collapsed at work and her coworker called the paramedics. One of them rode along with her, but didn’t stick around once we sent her in for tests. Said he had to check on his cat but would be back later.”

            “Hmm, thanks.”

            Delphine could sense someone coming up behind her and turned to find the striking figure of Dr. Sadler, the attending physician over the emergency clinic, standing behind her, already dressed in jeans and a leather jacket. Krystal and Felix quickly excused themselves, citing patient needs, leaving the two doctors alone.

            “Dr. Cormier,” came the curt greeting.

            “Dr. Sadler,” Delphine nodded. “Krystal was just filling me in on Ms. Niehaus.”

            “Ah yes, poor thing. Labs should be done soon. I’d recommend checking on her often, no family history or predisposition to seizures. She works in a biomed lab but says she didn’t have any exposure to any hazards or stimulants that would trigger a seizure. I ordered a blood panel to verify just in case. For the record, she cheekily informed me that the only chemical we could expect would be tetrahydrocannabinol.” The older woman laughed softly to herself, brushing a stray strand of streaked red hair that had fallen into her face.

            “Anything else I need to know?”

            “No, everything else is the normal broken bones, asthma attacks, chest pains, and indigestion. In fact, for a Monday, it’s been rather quiet.”

“I hope it stays that way.”

“Well, if it doesn’t, I’ll be reachable by cell should you need me.”

            “Thank you Dr. Sadler.”

“See you in the morning Dr. Cormier; try not to kill any of my patients in the meantime.” The older woman laughed clapping Delphine on the shoulder as she blushed and began to protest, “I’m kidding Delphine. You’re a fine doctor, work on loosening up a bit, it’ll help with that bedside manner,” she winked and turned heading towards the clinic exit.

Delphine sighed heavily and headed down the hall to begin sifting through the patient paperwork in earnest, awaiting the notification that Ms. Niehaus’s lab work was ready for review. She sat at one of the empty desks and opened her laptop, her eyes glazing slightly as she tried to read the chart of _Duncan, Ethan, Age 62, Presenting Symptom: confusion and angina._ Try as she might, she just couldn’t focus and she knew why, Dr. Sadler’s comment.

Delphine Cormier had always been at the top of her class, always. She had graduated with honors from her medical program and landed a prestigious residency, which in turn provided her with this opportunity as a fellow. She knew the medical textbooks forwards and back, so why did she feel she was not living up to her full potential as a physician? _Bedside Manner_ , it had been her downfall all through initial clinical training, into her residency, and even now in practice and Siobhan Sadler’s comments had unknowingly hit the nail on the head. “Brilliant but too clinical, too diagnostic; try seeing the patient as a whole, not just the medical side.” Those were just some of the comments mentors had said to her over the last few years. She tried, she really did, but she just did not see the point in beating around the bush as the saying went. In her eyes, there was a clear problem and it was her job to explain the plan of attack in the most concise way for the patient.

A loud ping tore Delphine from her reverie. She clicked open her inbox and saw a new message: _Lab and Scan Results: Niehaus, C._ She decided to open the blood work results first. The first thing she saw was that the toxicology results revealed large traces of THC, but no other chemicals. Delphine giggled remembering Dr. Sadler’s anecdote, “ _Cheeky”_ she thought. But her amusement was short lived; as she continued down the list, she noticed the young woman’s eosinophil and lymphocyte counts were off the chart, additionally her electrolytes and potassium levels were dangerously low: _possibly what caused the seizure_ , she noted.

Delphine double clicked the second secured attachment, opening the MRI. It took her a moment to process what she was seeing and even then she had to double check the tech’s notes to be sure. The patient’s neural scans were clear, but the MRI of her lungs was a disaster: large masses were visible in the superior lobes of both lungs. She would need follow-up tests to have an exact diagnosis, but the immediate prognosis did not look good. Delphine felt her heart sink thinking about how she was going to tell this young woman how serious her situation was without alarming her. _Merde, so much for easy._ She quickly forwarded the results to Dr. Sadler, glanced at the room listed on the patient’s chart and set off to room 324.


	2. Aspirer

The rubber squeak of her sneakers echoed down the hallways as she walked to deliver the news to her patient. _318, 320, 322…_ The door to Room 324 was left slightly ajar, providing Delphine with a glimpse into the small space and of the woman she presumed was Ms. Niehaus. The patient was standing by the window, looking out at the Toronto skyline and though she knew she should be scolding the young woman for being out of bed, Delphine couldn’t help but feel drawn to the small figure outlined by the city lights. She could make out the woman’s small form, arms crossed protectively over her chest, ring clad fingers clutching biceps covered by the sweater she wore over her hospital gown. Her hair was neatly organized in dreads and pulled back loosely. _A bit stereotypical for a stoner but she pulls them off,_ Delphine thought and laughed quietly. The noise caught the patient’s attention and she quickly turned, eyeing Delphine, who barely recovered with a light cough and knock on the door.

“Ms. Niehaus?”

“Umm, yes?” the shorter woman responded, scrunching her brow in confusion.

Delphine strode forward into the room, stretching her right hand towards her patient.

“I’m Dr. Cormier. I’m the physician overseeing the clinic this evening. How are you feeling?”

“Ah, okay…?” her patient responded, drawing out the last syllable, turning the affirmation into a question. She drew her hand back from Delphine’s, tucking it defensively into her side as her arms crossed again. “Aren’t you a little, young, to be running the clinic?”

“I’m sorry; do you have a problem with that?” The blonde heard herself ask in a tone that was icier than the late autumn air itself.

“No! No! Not at all, god, no! It’s just, you’re so…”

“What?”

“Young and --”

“I assure you, I’m more than qualified.”

“Oh, I’m not worried, I was also going to say “and gorgeous, and French,” obviously…the accent, and the name, Cormier....” The shorter woman responded, tongue poking out from behind a wolfish grin. Delphine felt the back of her neck go red, the heat spreading forward, undoubtedly coloring her cheeks. “But you cut me off before I could say those things.” She plopped herself down on the hospital bed, still grinning, and looked up at Delphine expectantly. “So, what’s up doc?”

Delphine willed her complexion to return to normal, and stepped forward towards the bed. She had been so caught off guard by the patient herself; she had almost forgotten why she was there in the first place. Now, she found herself at a loss for words as she looked at this woman, who seemed so alive in this moment.

“Well, Ms. Niehaus.”

“Cosima.”

“Ok, Cosima.” She paused, _breathe Delphine,_ “Dr. Sadler ordered some tests be run when you were brought in and we’ve just gotten the results.”

“Ok, and?”

“And, it looks like we’re going to need to run some more tests. The good news is I think your seizure may be due to imbalanced electrolytes, which is easy enough to get back on track.”

“How ironic, a seizure caused because I was _low_  K?”

Delphine stared blankly, as Cosima giggled at her own joke.

“Get it, Dr. Cormier? Because potassium is an electrolyte and its atomic symbol is “K?” Hypokalemia has been known to cause muscle spasms and sometimes seizures?” she trailed off.

“I get the joke Ms. Niehaus—“

“Cosima.”

“I get the joke, Cosima.”

“But you didn’t laugh!”

“I’m sorry, it’s just, I have more news for you…” Cosima’s giggles instantly died, as Delphine wrung her hands, unable to meet her patient’s stare.

“Bad news?”

“I’m sorry to say, it’s not good news. Your neural scans are clear which is good, however, the MRI of your chest revealed some masses which we will want to run more tests on to determine their impact to your overall health.”

At this revelation, Cosima’s eyes doubled behind her glasses and her lower lip began to quake. Sucking her lip in, her eyes darted back to the city skyline.

“Ok, so more tests.”

“Oui, I mean, yes, more tests.”

“But no use worrying until we do that and get more information right?”

“Errm, yes, we definitely need more information, correct, which is why I am going to request that you be slated for a biopsy as soon as possible, most likely tomorrow afternoon.”

“Great.”

“Cosima, how has your health been recently?”

“Fine, apart from a residual cough which I was attributing to my, umm, recreational habits.”

“Cannabis.”

“Yep, good old Mary Jane, she’s my kind of lady!” she said with a bitter laugh.

“Have you frequently used marijuana in the past?” Delphine asked as she jotted down notes.

“I’m from San Fran and have had a medical card since it was legal, ADHD or anxiety; I forget which it was originally prescribed for, so yes.”

“And, have you found in the past that it irritated your lungs?”

“No, I’m pretty used to it, but I thought to combination of the colder air and less vaping, more joints, which is what my life has been the last two months since moving here. I thought maybe that was why I was coughing and had some tightness. I’ve also been under a lot of stress lately, so I chalked up some of it to stress too, psychological or stress impacting my immune system or whatever.”

“Just cannabis use? No tobacco?”

“Nope, just pot for me.”

“And two months is how long you’ve been having difficulty breathing?”

“About that yeah…”

“Have you seen a physician?”

Cosima looked away as she mumbled, “no.”

Biting her tongue, Delphine wrote down Cosima’s testimony, figuring she had enough for now to discuss with Dr. Sadler in the morning, get Cosima scheduled for a follow-up test, and prepare her case enough for a specialist to have a good start. She looked up from the chart and presented her patient with a forced smile.

“Ok, Cosima. Try and get some rest. We’ll get you scheduled for a biopsy and some more blood tests.” With that, Delphine turned to walk out of the room.

“That’s it?”

“Is there something else I can assist you with?”

“No, just…never mind.” Cosima shrank back into the pile of pillows stacked against the headboard. She looked so small and afraid, and for a moment, Delphine felt her heart tug at the thought of this woman facing this uncertainty alone. _She’s a patient Delphine, you can treat help her by treating her, but to do that you need more information. That’s your job. I’m sure she has friends who can provide moral support._

“Goodnight, Cosima. Get some sleep.” She nodded to her patient and exited the room, immediately falling back against the closed door, her body wracked with guilt and sadness.

On the other side of the door, Cosima lay in her too-big bed, perfectly still and tried to will her breathing to even out. Long after she had heard footsteps retreat from her door, she succeeded for long enough to hear a barely audible wheeze underline her measured intake of breath as she drifted off to sleep. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

         

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait here, ironically (?) I ended up in the ER with a concussion and have been out of it for a few weeks. Happy to be back writing and hoping to update more frequently.


	3. A bout de souffle

            Delphine’s stomach growled audibly as she closed the door to her refrigerator. Armed with a small takeout box of rice and a slightly larger container of Panang curry, she made her way to the small strip of marble veneer which served as the only workable space in her galley kitchen. She quickly through the contents of the containers into a bowl and turned on the microwave. Pulling her sweater tighter around her shoulders, she gazed out her frosty kitchen window. Snow had begun to lightly fall when she’d arrived home from her lab shortly before noon, and had picked up during the five hours she’d slept that afternoon. The fluffy white powder clung to the eves of the apartment complex’s windows and created an even more whimsical air within the old courtyard.

            The age of the complex had been one of the main reasons Delphine had chosen to live there. The architecture and worn feel reminded her of Europe. That feeling of home and the absurdly low rent more than made up for the annoyance of a small kitchen, it’s not as if she was home much to cook anyway. The microwave pinged and as she removed her dinner her thoughts drifted back to the previous night’s shift.

 

            _It was the best early morning rounds the young doctor had ever had. While she had been mildly annoyed to find that her patient was not resting, she could not say the annoyance lasted long. Cosima had lured her into casual conversation regarding a particularly terrible infomercial and had somehow proceeded to get Delphine to divulge some bits of her personal life; something that rarely happened._

_“A doctor and a PhD. Student, huh? Do you ever go home, or I don’t know, sleep?” The brunette teased._

_“Pretty much all I do at home is sleep. I pick up shifts here when I can, some weeks more than others. Most of my free time is spent in the lab or actually writing my dissertation.”_

_“I must say, I am impressed, though concerned. You’re telling me you don’t ever catch a show, read a book, or even, like, go to a movie?”_

_“A movie? Mon Dieu, I can’t remember the last movie I saw…maybe Bridesmaids?”_

_“Dude, great movie, but seriously? That was the last movie you’ve seen?”_

_“In theaters, yes.”_

_“Whoa, that’s like over a year then… What about watching at home?”_

_“À bout de souffle, a week ago.”_

_“Breathless, nice, verrrrrrrry French eh, Cormier?”_

_“I will admit, it seems a bit cliché, yes. But could I also not just be a lover of cinema?”_

_“I suppose…” The brunette paused smiling, then grabbed her chart from the foot of her bed. Waving it around, she half-yelled, “_ _New York_ _Herald Tribuuunnne!”_

_Delphine giggled and immediately lunged for the chart, “Cosima! It’s 4 in the morning; you’re going to wake the other patients!” Still giggling she swatted Cosima’s arm, and placed the chart in its rightful location. “You are such a brat!”_

_“And you’re adorable when you take charge.”_

_Delphine bowed her head to hide the blush she knew was already creeping up her cheeks. After a moment she lifted her eyes and smiled shyly at Cosima._

_“I should probably get back to work, and you should sleep.”_

_“Doctor’s orders?”_

_“Yes!”_

_“Well in the case…” The brunette rolled backwards to the upper corner of the hospital bed, attempting to pull the sheets back as she did so. With all the grace of a bear cub, she managed to get underneath the covers. Delphine couldn’t help but laugh at how adorably pathetic the whole scene was. Cosima’s eyes met hers and the smaller woman’s face split into a wide grin._

_“You laughing at me?”_

_“Yes.” Delphine answered, feeling butterflies flit about her stomach as Cosima held her gaze, still smiling._

_“Good. I’m glad I could make you laugh. I may have been watching you earlier, you looked so sad.”_

_“What?”_

_“I got Felix to take me for a supervised walk--"_

_"What? When?!"_

_"Doesn't matter, anyway, I saw you doing paperwork, you just looked so sad, I’m glad I got to see your smile. It’s beautiful.”_

_Clearing her throat, Delphine grabbed her tablet from Cosima’s bedside table, avoiding eye contact. It wasn’t that she had not been hit on by patients before, she just had never actually wanted to flirt back. The way Cosima was staring at her, the way she was making her feel, was in a word disarming. Not to mention, how inappropriate it may be construed should Delphine play along. No, she decided, it’s best to stay professional, no matter how cute she is._

_“Thank you. I hope you feel better Cosima, please get some sleep.”_

_“Wait…Dr. Cormier…” She heard Cosima start, but she was already out of the room. She walked around the floor, arriving back at 324, ten minutes later, relieved to find the lights off, and Cosima at least pretending to sleep, if not indeed sleeping._

 

            Siobhan had arrived for the day shift earlier than expected and after receiving report from Delphine had dismissed her for the day. She had hoped to have been able to check on Cosima one last time, and now could not stop thinking about the smaller woman. How did the tests go? Did anyone come to stay with her?

She was definitely attracted to the woman, she knew that much. While Delphine had always considered herself straight, she did not totally ascribe to the ideal of labels for sexuality, preferring to view it as a spectrum. Though the thought of being with a woman was intriguing, and something she had considered herself open to, there had never been a woman that actually captured her attention. Until now. Until Cosima. And Cosima was sick. Cosima was her patient. This was unethical on so many levels, yet she found herself anxious to see the other woman again. Even if she couldn’t explore her attraction to the brunette, she could at least check on her well-being.

She glanced at her wrist watch, noting that it was hours past Cosima’s scheduled exam. With a heavy sigh, she grabbed her laptop, quickly logging into the hospital’s VPN and opening her email. Long fingers twitched over the keys as she debated her next move. Holding her breath, she quickly pushed “send” and sent the message out into the ether.

_Dr. Sadler, how did Patient C.N.’s lab results turn out?_

Delphine anxiously chewed her thumbnail, glancing out into the winter night. Her laptop chimed, alerting her to a new email.

_Not great, see attached. Could be auto-immune, she’s coming Friday for more testing. This may be a good case study for your research; can you come in Friday afternoon?_

Swallowing the rock that seemed to have lodged itself in her throat, Delphine opened the attachment, if it was auto-immune, it may actually be something she could help with. The thought gave her hope for the small brunette for whom she honestly thought she was handing a death sentence to. After a quick scan of the results, she sent Dr. Sadler a quick note.

_I’ll be there Friday._

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, feedback is always appreciated! My apologies for any grammatical errors, this is unbeta'd at the moment.


End file.
